Father’s Day approaches, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) plans to celebrate the men in their lives by planting a tree in their honor.
In support of their international initiative, “Enhance Our Environment,” the Rho Xi Omega Chapter of AKA will partner with Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) GROW Center Pop Up for an event to give away free trees, mulch, and more.
AKA is an international service organization founded at Howard University in 1908, making it the oldest Greek lettered organization established by African American college-educated women. There are more than 355,000 members in chapters spanning 11 countries around the globe.
The “Enhance our Environment” initiative aims to be the catalyst for its members to make a significant impact on the environment, promoting the adoption of sustainable and responsible practices. The program’s focuses include tree planting, community and home gardens, waste reduction, and recycling days for electronics and paper shredding.
The GROW Center stands for Green Resources & Outreach for Watersheds. It is a program run by the Baltimore City DPW, and functions as a resource hub for the community to get information on greening their neighborhoods, stormwater management, waste reduction, and beautification projects.
“One of our initiatives is to enhance our environment, and we do that through several programs throughout the year,” said LaShawn Scroggins, vice president of programs for Rho Xi Omega Chapter of AKA. “So, we do have tree planting events. We just had a big one in April, but this event is to give out trees to men for Father’s Day, but to also encourage people to bring in items that can be recycled.”
Rho Xi Omega has partnered with DPW before. DPW has provided materials for the chapter’s tree planting events in the past. The chapter has planted trees at Hilton Elementary School for two years in a row, and they’ve also planted trees and created a memorial garden at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School to honor the memory of four students who had died over the past few years.
For this Saturday’s event, Scroggins said they’re hoping to see families come out.
“We’re hoping to see fathers come out with their children to pick up trees and to take them home and plant them in the community,” Scroggins said. “We’re also hoping that they will come out and bring materials and things to be shredded and recycled. But the goal is to plant. Last year we planted 35 trees throughout Baltimore City, so we want to be able to match that this year and maybe even exceed it, if possible.”
Attendees can bring up to two 32-gallon bags of paper documents for shredding, and they can also bring room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, electronics, and mini fridges for recycling.
The event is free and open to the public. It takes place on Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Middle Branch Fitness & Wellness Center, located at 201 Reedbird Avenue, Baltimore, MD.
